(Published Sept. 12, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
A celebrated drama about an American advertising agency in the early 1960s, the TV series “Mad Men” is a unique but timely jaunt to the past that attractively exposes the sordidness beneath the glamour.
Like any “serious” series that relies heavily on gritty portrayals of misbehavior, “Mad Men” continuously manages to mystify and mesmerize with its various dysfunctional and imperfect relationships. The first season is currently airing on cable channel
The show was created by former “Sopranos” writer-producer Matthew Weiner. Its appeal partly lies in its lush recreation of a bygone era. Every week, sleek set pieces, costumes, and props create that near-perfect, life-sized diorama, inhabited by a bunch of mostly ambitious and unhappy characters. “Mad Men” currently has 16 Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama.
In the New York-based Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency, most big decisions were made by a select group of white men. The ad men (or “mad men,” as some affectionately call themselves) usually created campaigns that resonated with their target markets, and even helped shape history and culture (at least within the confines of the show’s fictional world). The women usually held subordinate positions; sometimes they’re occasional recipients of sexist or lewd remarks, or are willing participants in secret office romances.
We see this side of the ad industry initially through the eyes of newbie secretary Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss). Naïve and a little shy, Peggy experiences the hectic, demanding nature of the business, especially since her boss is creative director Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Don treats her professionally, but smug junior account manager Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) does just the opposite. He expresses an interest in Peggy early on, and the mutual attraction results in some trysts and a love-hate relationship.
Don, meanwhile, is a hardworking family man, a brilliant luminary respected by most of his colleagues. But he’s stressed out, and secretly sleeps with brunettes. His homemaker wife Betty (January Jones) is clueless about these things, as she’s going through a trying and unhappy phase, herself.
Almost every married man on the show cheats on his spouse. Vampy office manager Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) discreetly meets up with senior partner Roger Sterling (John Slattery), a married guy. Infidelity, chain-smoking and booze-guzzling are pretty common occurrences at Sterling Cooper, but the employees are adept at multi-tasking—specifically juggling business and pleasure, so they still get good work done. Paradoxically, while the ad men usually conceive of great selling ideas and connect with their markets, their own lives are constantly entangled.
“Mad Men” turns that axiom into compelling viewing.
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